Fiber application head with retractable flap

ABSTRACT

The present invention relates to a fibre application head for the production of composite material parts, comprising a compaction roller ( 3 ), guiding means ( 4 ), a retractable flap ( 6 ) which can be displaced between an active position in which the said flap is able to come by its distal end ( 63 ) against the fibre in order to bring the said fibre in abutment against with the roller, and a retracted position in which said flap is spaced apart from the roller, and a heating system ( 5 ) able to emit thermal radiation ( 51 ) towards of the nip zone between the roller and the application surface. Said flap is displaceable by actuation means ( 7 ) between its active position and its retracted position so that the roller is subjected to the radiation of the heating system over a greater surface area in the retracted position than in the active position of the flap.

The present invention relates to a fibre application head for theproduction of composite material parts, more particularly a fibreapplication head with a retractable flap, as well as to a method formanufacturing a composite material part by means of such an applicationhead.

Fibre application machines are known for the application by contact on alay-up tool of one or more continuous flat fibres, of the ribbon type,dry or impregnated with thermosetting or thermoplastic resin, inparticular carbon fibres, consisting of a multitude of carbon threads orfilaments. After application of several superimposed layers of fibres,the resulting part is subjected to a curing operation, calledpolymerization, in the case of thermosetting resins, and calledconsolidation in the case of thermoplastic resins.

These fibre application machines, also called fibre placement machines,typically comprise an application head, a displacement system able todisplace the application head, and storage means for storing the fibres.The fibre storage means can be mounted on the head, or can be locatedremotely from the head. The head typically comprises a compaction systemcomprising at least one compaction roller for applying one or morefibres to an application surface of a lay-up tool, guiding means forguiding the fibre or fibres in the form of a band towards saidcompaction roller, and for each fibre, cutting means for cutting afibre, rerouting means for rerouting the fibre to the compaction rollerafter a cut made by the cutting means, and clamping means for clampingthe fibre just cut. The compaction system further comprises at least onecompaction cylinder for applying the fibres with a compaction force.

In order to ensure a good guiding of the fibre(s) exiting from theguiding means to the compaction roller, especially after a fibre cuttingoperation and/or an operation of rerouting of said fibre, it has beenproposed in the patent document WO2013/030467 a head equipped with acomb comprising a plurality of flexible tabs or slats able to comeagainst said fibre(s) exiting from the guiding means to bring saidfibre(s) in abutment against the compaction roller. In the case of aband made up of several fibres, such a flexible tab ensures that thefibres are well maintained in relation to one another, substantiallyedge to edge, and avoids lateral deviation of the fibres, particularlyduring curved trajectories of the head on the mould.

It has also been proposed in the patent document FR2949378 a head forlay-up of a fibre or band equipped with a retractable comb or flap withflexible slats that can be moved between an active position in which thesaid flap is able to come by its distal portion against the band exitingfrom the guiding means in order to put the band in abutment against thecompaction roller, and a retracted position in which the said flap is atspaced apart from the compaction roller. The displacement of the flapbetween its two positions is achieved by a rotational movement, theclearance angle defined between the application surface and the flapbeing larger in the active position than in the retracted position.

Similarly, US2008/0302483 describes a fibre application head for theapplication of a band of multiple fibres, with a retractable finger orflap provided for each fibre, each finger also being movable by arotational motion between an active position and a retracted position inwhich the finger is closer to the lay-up surface.

Moreover, depending on the type of fibres deposited, especially in thecase of dry fibres provided with a thermoplastic binder or fibrespre-impregnated with a thermoplastic resin, it is necessary to equip thehead with a heating system able to emit thermal radiation towards thenip zone between the compaction roller and the application surface. Toensure a good bond between the fibre and the substrate, the heatingsystem should preferably heat each fibre before it is compacted by thelatter, as well as the application surface and/or one or more previouslyapplied fibres. The flaps fitted to the heads for guiding the fibre(s)closer to the roller do not allow for optimal heating of the fibresprior to their compaction by the roller.

The purpose of the present invention is to provide a fibre applicationhead that both guides the fibres well on the roller while ensuringefficient heating for fibre lay-up.

To this end, the present invention has for object a fibre applicationhead for the production of composite material parts comprising acompaction system comprising at least one compaction roller for theapplication of at least one fibre on the application surface of a mould,guiding means for guiding at least one fibre towards said compactionroller and a retractable flap displaceable by actuation means between anactive position in which said retractable flap is able to come by itsdistal end against the fibre exiting from the guiding means in order tobring said fibre in abutment against the compaction roller, and aretracted position in which said retractable flap is spaced apart fromthe compaction roller, characterized in that it comprises a heatingsystem able to emit thermal radiation towards the nip zone between thecompaction roller and the application surface, in order to heat thefibre exiting from the guiding means before it is compacted by theroller, as well as the application surface and/or one or more previouslyapplied fibres, said retractable flap being displaceable by actuationmeans between its active position and its retracted position so that thecompaction roller is subjected to the radiation of the heating systemover a greater surface area in the retracted position than in the activeposition of the retractable flap.

According to the invention, the flap in its retracted position allowsthe radiation of the heating system to be transmitted to a greaterextent than in its active position. The cylindrical surface of theroller is exposed to the radiation emitted by the heating system over anangle that is greater when the flap is in its retracted position thanwhen the flap is in its active position. Thus, the fibre exiting fromthe guiding means is exposed to the radiation of the heating systembefore being compacted by the compaction roller over a fibre length thatis greater when the flap is in the retracted position than when the flapis in the active position. Advantageously, the flap is displaced intoits active position to guide the fibre as close as possible to theroller during the fibre rerouting and/or during a fibre cuttingoperation. The flap according to the invention can thus be used in itsactive position for better guidance of the fibre towards the roller whenthe guidance of the fibre is most critical, for example at the beginningor end of a fibre lay-up, or during trajectories with a significantcurvature. During lay-up, when the fibre is compacted by the roller, thefibre guidance is less critical, and the flap in retracted positionallows an efficient heating of the fibre exiting from the guiding meansand thus allows to obtain a good bonding of the fibres, in particular athigh lay-up speeds.

According to an embodiment, the retractable flap is displaceable by atranslational movement between its active position and its retractedposition, said actuation means preferably comprising at least onecylinder, said flap being, for example, connected by its proximal partto the end of the cylinder rod.

According to one embodiment, the retractable flap in its active positionis elastically in abutment by its distal end against the compactionroller, with or without a fibre interposed between the roller and thedistal end.

According to one embodiment, the head is provided for application bycontact onto a tooling of a single flat fibre, for example in the formof a wide ribbon, for example more than two inches wide. In this case,the head comprises guiding means able to guide a single flat fibretowards the roller, and one or more retractable flaps associated withthe compaction roller, for example a single retractable flap displacedbetween its two positions by one or two cylinders.

According to another embodiment, the head is a so-called fibre placementhead for application by contact onto a tooling of a plurality ofcontinuous flat fibres, in the form of a band, each fibre having, forexample, a width of ⅛, ¼, ½, 1, 1.5 or 2 inches. In this case, saidguiding means are able to guide a plurality of fibres onto a compactionroller in the form of a band, preferably in which the fibres arearranged substantially edge to edge. The head then comprises one or moreretractable flaps associated with the compaction roller, for example asingle retractable flap for all the fibres, the flap being displacedbetween its two positions by one or two cylinders. The said headadvantageously comprises cutting means for cutting, preferablyindividually, each fibre upstream of the roller in relation to thetravel direction of the fibres, and rerouting means, arranged upstreamof the cutting means, for rerouting each fibre that has just been cut inorder to be able to stop and resume the application of a fibre at anytime, as well as to choose the width of the band. Advantageously, thehead also comprises clamping means, arranged upstream of the cuttingmeans, able to clamp, preferably individually, each fibre just cut.

According to an embodiment, for the production of composite materialparts by application of continuous fibres, preferably arranged edge toedge in the form of a band, the said head is able to apply severalfibres by means of a compaction system comprising several compactionrollers and compaction cylinders,

-   -   for each fibre, the head comprises a functional module        comprising cutting means and rerouting means, each functional        module is mounted so as to be mobile in translation in a        compaction direction on a support element of the head,    -   each compaction roller is mounted on one or more adjacent        functional modules and a compaction cylinder is associated with        the functional module(s) associated with a compaction roller for        the translational displacement of the functional module(s),    -   the head comprising an independent heating system associated        with each compaction roller, said heating system being able to        be displaced with the functional module(s) associated with said        compaction roller, and at least one retractable flap associated        with at least one compaction roller, one flap is for example        associated with each compaction roller.

According to an embodiment, the head comprises one compaction roller perfunctional module.

According to an embodiment, the compaction rollers are arranged in asingle row, side by side without any contact between them, the rotationaxis of the compaction rollers being arranged according to a samecompaction plane, parallel to the compaction direction.

According to one embodiment, each first functional module comprisesguiding means able to guide a first fibre towards the compaction rolleralong a first guiding plane forming a first non-zero angle with thecompaction plane of the rotation axis of the compaction rollers, eachsecond functional module comprises guiding means able to guide a secondfibre towards the compaction roller along a second guiding plane forminga second non-zero angle with the compaction plane, the said second anglebeing greater than the first angle, the said guiding planes beingarranged on the same side of the compaction plane, upstream of the saidcompaction plane with respect to the advance direction of the head.

According to an embodiment, the head comprises a retractable flapassociated with each first functional module. According to anotherembodiment, the head comprises a retractable flap associated with eachfunctional module.

According to an embodiment, each heating system comprises a laser typeheating system, or a flash lamp type heating system.

To ensure substantially uniform compaction across the width of the band,each compaction roller is advantageously able to conform to theapplication surface, in particular to convex and/or concave applicationsurfaces. According to an embodiment, the head comprises one or moreflexible rollers, each made of a flexible, elastically deformablematerial, for example an elastomeric material, so as to be able todeform by conforming to the profile of said surfaces. According toanother embodiment, each roller is a segmented rigid roller, for examplemetallic, comprising a plurality of independent roller segments mountedside by side on a same axial rod, each segment being displaceable onsaid axial rod, perpendicularly thereto, in an independent manner, andbeing elastically biased against the application surface by elasticmeans, such as expandable pocket systems.

The present invention also relates to a method for manufacturing acomposite material part comprising the application of continuous fibresonto an application surface, characterized in that the application offibres is carried out by means of a fibre application head as describedabove, by relative displacement of the application head with respect tothe lay-up surface according to deposition trajectories, the retractableflap associated with a fibre being moved into the active position atleast during a fibre rerouting operation and/or fibre cutting operation,preferably at least during a fibre rerouting operation, and returned tothe retracted position when the end of the rerouted fibre is no longercompacted by the compaction roller, so as to obtain heating of the saidfibre before it is compacted by the compaction roller over a greaterfibre length.

The flap can also be displaced from time to time in active position ontrajectory sections having a significant curvature to avoid a lateraldisplacement of fibres which could lead to overlapping or gaps betweentwo adjacent fibres and thus avoid an alteration of the mechanicalproperties of the final part.

The invention will be better understood, and other purposes, details,features and advantages will become clearer in the course of thefollowing detailed explanatory description of a presently preferredparticular embodiment of the invention, with reference to the appendedschematic drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a schematic side view of a fibre application head according toan embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 2 is an enlarged partial view of FIG. 1 illustrating theretractable flap and its actuation system in the vicinity of thecompaction roller, the flap being in retracted position;

FIG. 3 is a view similar to that of FIG. 2 with a partial sectional viewat the level of the flap actuation system;

FIG. 4 is a view similar to that of FIG. 3 with the retractable flap inactive position; and

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the retractable flap and its actuationsystem, without the protective cover.

FIG. 1 illustrates a fibre application head 1 according to the inventionfor the lay-up of a plurality of continuous fibres arranged edge-to-edgein the form of a band. In the present embodiment, the head comprises oneindependent compaction roller per fibre. The head 1 is intended to beassembled to a displacement system to perform the fibre lay-upoperations, the fibres being in the present embodiment packaged in theform of cassettes, and the cassettes are carried on the head. The headcomprises a support structure or frame 10 provided with assembly means(not shown) for assembling the head, according to an assembly axis A, toa head displacement system, for example the wrist of a poly-articulatedrobot or a gantry-type Cartesian displacement system.

The head carries a plurality of functional modules 2 a, 2 b arrangedside by side. Each functional module is associated with a fibre cassette91 a, 91 b and comprises cutting means, rerouting means, clamping meansand a compaction roller 3.

The head comprises two types of functional module, first functionalmodules 2 a, also called downstream functional modules, associated withdownstream fibre cassettes 91 a, arranged downstream of the functionalmodules with respect to the advance direction D of the head duringlay-up, and second functional modules 2 b, also called upstreamfunctional modules, associated with upstream fibre cassettes 91 b,arranged upstream of the functional modules with respect to the advancedirection D. The functional modules are arranged in a row, the rowcomprising alternating downstream functional modules 2 a and upstreamfunctional modules 2 b.

The functional modules are mounted on the frame by means of supportelements 11, each support element carrying a downstream functionalmodule 2 a and an upstream functional module 2 b. Each functional moduleis mounted independently on the support element, mobile in translationin a compaction direction T2, which is parallel to the assembly axis A,and is connected at the top to the end of the rod of a compactioncylinder 12, said cylinder being connected by its body to the supportelement.

The compaction roller 3 is mounted between two flanges of the functionalmodule, mobile in rotation around a rotation axis B, which isperpendicular to the direction T2. During the translational displacementof a functional module in the direction T2, the rotation axis B of itscompaction roller moves in a plane C, called the compaction plane, whichis parallel to the direction T2. The support elements are mounted on theframe in such a way that the rotation axis of the rollers are allarranged substantially in the same plane C.

Each downstream functional module comprises means for guiding a fibreallowing to guide the fibre entering the module towards the compactionroller along a plane P1, said plane forming an angle α1 with the planeC. Each upstream functional module comprises means for guiding a fibreallowing to guide the fibre entering the module towards the compactionroller along to a plane P2, the planes P1 and P2 being arranged on thesame side of the plane C, said plane P2 forming an angle α2 with theplane C which is greater than the angle α1. The planes P1 and P2 arearranged upstream of the plane C with respect to the advance directionof the head during lay-up, the plane P2 being arranged upstream of theplane P1.

Each functional module comprises cutting means for cutting the fibre,rerouting means for rerouting the fibre to the compaction roller after acutting operation, and clamping means for clamping the fibre just cut,such means being known per se. As an example, the downstream functionalmodule comprises cutting means and clamping means, as described inpatent document EP2134532, WO2017/072421 or FR17/01245 and FR17/01247.

The guiding means allow to guide the fibre 9 between the clamping means,the rerouting means and the cutting means, and towards the compactionroller. To guide the fibre from the clamping means to the cutting means,the guiding means comprise a first guiding system (not shown) comprisingfor example a channel, formed at the assembly interface of two plates.In order to guide the fibre between the cutting means and the roller,the guiding means comprise for example, as illustrated in FIGS. 2 to 4 ,a second guiding system 4 comprising a channel 41 formed at the assemblyinterface of two plates, including a first inner plate 42 and a secondouter plate 43. This second guiding system is for example mounted on themounting clevis of the compaction roller, by its inner plate 42.

The compaction rollers are all identical and are preferably able toconform to the application surface, especially to convex and/or concaveapplication surfaces. Each compaction roller is preferably a compactionroller made of a flexible material, which is elastically deformable,such as an elastomer. The roller comprises a cylinder made of flexiblematerial, which is mounted in a rotationally fixed manner on a rigidaxle, for example metallic, by means of which the roller is mounted in arotationally free manner between two flanges.

Each compaction cylinder 12 is able to displace its associatedfunctional module between an extreme high position and an extreme lowposition. For the lay-up of a fibre with a functional module, the moduleis elastically urged towards its extreme low position by its compactioncylinder. The head is brought into contact with the lay-up surface, theroller in contact with the lay-up surface. The compaction force for thelay-up can be regulated by adjusting the air supply pressure in theupper chamber of the cylinder. During lay-up, the functional module canmove between its extreme low position and its extreme high position toconform to the lay-up surface. When the module is not being used tolay-up a fibre, the module is held in the extreme high position bysupplying compressed air to the lower chamber. For the sake ofsimplicity, the compaction roller is illustrated with a cylindricalshape in FIGS. 2 to 4 . In practice, the compaction roller made of aflexible material is deformed by the compaction force and has a crushedshape.

The head comprises a heating system 5, associated with each functionalmodule, whose radiation 51 is directed obliquely towards the nip zone orcontact zone between the compaction roller and the application surface,to heat the fibre to be laid up, prior to its compaction by the latter,as well as the application surface and/or one or more previously appliedfibres to heat the application surface upstream of the roller. In thepresent embodiment, each module carries a heating system 5, upstream ofthe roller with respect to the advance direction of the head. Eachheating system comprises, for example, a flash lamp, as described inpatent document WO2014/029969 or WO2017/134453, comprising an opticformed by a quartz 52 to guide the radiation. The lamp is mounted sothat the main radiation from the lamp is directed towards the nip zonebetween the roller and the application surface.

According to the invention, the downstream functional modules are eachequipped with a retractable flap 6 that is able to be displaced by anactuation system 7 between two positions. With reference to FIGS. 3 to 5, the flap is formed by a flexible metal plate mounted at the end of therod 72 of a cylinder 71 of the actuation system 7. The cylinder ismounted by its body 73 on the second guiding system 4, in particular onits second outer plate 43. For mounting the flap, the rod is equipped atits end with a slide 74 whose side edges are able to slide in twogrooves 76 of two guiding plates 75 extending from the body 73 of thecylinder parallelly to the rod. The flap is mounted by its proximal part71 flat on the slide by means of a counter-plate 77. The proximal partis placed between the slide and the counter-plate, and is fixed by meansof screws, passing through holes in the counter-plate and holes in theproximal part, and screwed into tapped holes in the slide. A protectivecover 78 is mounted on the body to cover the rod.

The flap 6 comprises a flat proximal part 61 extended by a flat distalpart 62 inclined towards the roller, forming for example an angle of 10to 35° with respect to the proximal part, this distal part ending in acurved distal end 63 by which the flap is able to come into contact,flat, against the roller.

The cylinder 71 is able to be controlled to displace the flap intranslation between a retracted position and an active position. Thecylinder is, for example, a single-acting pneumatic cylinder, which issupplied with compressed air to displace the flap to the activeposition, a spring (not shown) ensuring the return to the retractedposition.

In its retracted position, the flap is spaced apart from the compactionroller, its distal end 63 is set back or at the level of the distal end44 of the second guiding system, against the outer surface of the outerplate, as shown in FIG. 3 . In its active position, the flap is incontact against the outer surface of the roller with its distal end.Preferably, the flap comes in abutment substantially tangentially andelastically by its distal end against the surface of the roller. Theflap has, at least at its distal end, a width substantially equal to thewidth of the roller. In the retracted position, the surface of theroller receiving the radiation extends from the guiding system, moreprecisely from the distal end 44 of the outer plate, to the nip zonebetween the roller and the lay-up surface, this roller surfacecorresponding to the angle 131 in FIG. 3 .

In the active position, the surface area of the roller receiving theradiation is reduced, this one extending from the distal end of the flapto the nip zone. This surface area of the roller corresponds to theangle 132 in FIG. 4 , which is smaller than the aforementioned angle131. As previously indicated, in practice the roller has a crushed,non-cylindrical shape, the angles 131 and 132 are in practice smallerthan those illustrated.

Advantageously, the flap is brought into an active position during thefibre rerouting, to press the fibre against the roller. The downstreamfunctional modules have a guiding plane P1 with a small angle α1, and asa result, are more sensitive to fibre rerouting issues. In the absenceof flap, the fibre exiting the guiding system tends to follow theguiding plane P1 and to hit the lay-up surface before passing under theroller. According to an embodiment, only the downstream modules are eachequipped with a retractable flap. During their re-routing, the flapallows the fibre to be oriented against the roller towards the nip zone,so that the end of the fibre is nipped and compacted by the roller. Assoon as the end of the fibre is no longer compacted by the compactionroller, the flap can be returned to its retracted position, so that thefibre exiting the guiding system is more heated by the radiation, andthus the lay-up can be performed at high speeds. The cylinder 71 can becontrolled by its own pneumatic valve system. For the sake of space, thecylinder may be controlled by the same valve system used for the fibrere-routing means.

When a fibre is cut by the cutting means of the functional module, theend of the cut fibre exiting the guiding system may tend to come againstthe heating system, in particular the waveguide formed by the quartz 52,especially in the case of fibres having a certain rigidity, which maylead to a clogging of the quartz and thus a deterioration of the heatingquality. Advantageously, the flap is brought to the active position whena fibre is cut, so that the end of the fibre is pressed by the flapagainst the roller.

According to an embodiment, the downstream and upstream modules are eachequipped with a retractable flap as described above.

According to other embodiments, the aforementioned flash lamp heatingsystem is replaced with a laser type heating system.

The fibres are preferably flat continuous fibres, such as tows,pre-impregnated with a thermosetting resin or a thermoplastic resin, ordry fibres provided with a binder. The binder is in the form of powderand/or one or more veils, preferably of the thermoplastic type.

The head can be adapted for lay-up of fibres of various widths, but isparticularly advantageous for lay-up of fibres of at least one-half inchwide, for example one inch, one and one-half inches, or two inches. Forwidths up to one-half inch, the fibres can be wound into helical windingspools. For widths greater than one-half inch, the fibre is wound into aspool or cassette without traverse winding.

According to another embodiment, the retractable flap according to theinvention is mounted on a head comprising a single compaction roller andequipped with a guiding system for guiding a plurality of fibres towardsthe roller in the form of a band of fibres in which the fibres arearranged edge to edge. In this case, the head comprises a flapadvantageously having a plurality of flexible tabs, as described in theaforementioned patent WO2013/030467, each tab being able to press on theface of a fibre opposite the roller in order to press said fibre againstthe roller.

Although the invention has been described in connection with aparticular embodiment, it is clear that it is by no means limitedthereto and that it includes all the technical equivalents of the meansdescribed as well as their combinations if these fall within the scopeof the invention.

1. Fibre application head (1) for the production of composite materialparts comprising a compaction system comprising at least one compactionroller (3) guiding means (4) for guiding at least one fibre (9) towardssaid compaction roller, and a retractable flap (6) displaceable byactuation means (7) between an active position in which said retractableflap is able to come by its distal end (63) against the fibre exitingfrom the guiding means in order to bring said fibre in abutment againstthe compaction roller, and a retracted position in which saidretractable flap is spaced apart from the compaction roller,characterized in that it comprises a heating system (5) able to emitthermal radiation (51) towards the nip zone between the compactionroller (3) and the application surface, in order to heat the fibreexiting from the guiding means, as well as the application surfaceand/or one or more fibres previously applied, said retractable flap (6)being displaceable by actuation means between its active position andits retracted position so that the compaction roller (3) is subjected tothe radiation (51) of the heating system (5) over a greater surface areain the retracted position than in the active position of the retractableflap.
 2. Application head according to claim 1, characterized in thatthe retractable flap (6) is displaceable by a translational movementbetween its active position and its retracted position, said actuationmeans (7) comprising at least one cylinder.
 3. Application headaccording to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the retractable flap(6) in its active position is elastically in abutment with its distalend (63) against the compaction roller (3).
 4. Application headaccording to one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that said guidingmeans (4) are able to guide a plurality of fibres onto a compactionroller in the form of a band, the head comprising one or moreretractable flaps associated with the compaction roller.
 5. Fibreapplication head according to one of the claims 1 to 3, characterized inthat said head is able to apply several fibres by means of a compactionsystem comprising several independent compaction rollers (3) andcompaction cylinders for each fibre, the head comprises a functionalmodule (2 a, 2 b) comprising cutting means and rerouting means, eachfunctional module is mounted so as to be mobile in translation in acompaction direction (T2) on a support element (10) of the head, eachcompaction roller is mounted on one or more adjacent functional modulesand a compaction cylinder is associated with the functional module(s)associated with a compaction roller the head comprising an independentheating system (5) associated with each compaction roller (3), and atleast one retractable flap (6) associated with at least one compactionroller.
 6. Fibre application head according to claim 5, characterized inthat it comprises one compaction roller (3) per functional module (2 a,2 b).
 7. Application head according to claim 5 or 6, characterized inthat each first functional module (2 a) comprises guiding means able toguide a first fibre towards the compaction roller (3) along a firstguiding plane (P1) forming a first non-zero angle (al) with thecompaction plane (C) of the rotation axis (B) of the compaction rollers,each second functional module (2 b) comprises guiding means able toguide a second fibre towards the compaction roller along a secondguiding plane (P2) forming a second non-zero angle (α2) with thecompaction plane (C), said second angle being greater than the firstangle, said guiding planes (P1, P2) being arranged on the same side ofthe compaction plane (C).
 8. Application head according to claims 6 and7 taken in combination, characterized in that it comprises a retractableflap (6) associated with each first functional module (2 a).
 9. Fibreapplication head according to any of claims 1 to 8, characterized inthat each heating system (5) comprises a laser type heating system, or aflash lamp type heating system.
 10. Method for manufacturing a compositematerial part comprising the application of continuous fibres onto anapplication surface, characterized in that the application of fibres isperformed by means of a fibre application head according to one ofclaims 1 to 9, by relative displacement of the application head withrespect to the lay-up surface according to deposition trajectories, theretractable flap (6) associated with a fibre being displaced into theactive position at least during a fibre rerouting operation and/or fibrecutting operation, and returned to the retracted position when the endof the rerouted fibre is no longer compacted by the compaction roller,so as to heat said fibre before it is compacted by the compaction rollerover a greater length of fibre.